The Rest of the Words of Baruch

The whole

And it came to pass when the children of Israel were made captives by the king: of the Chaldeans, God spake unto Jeremiah, saying: « Jeremiah, My chosen one! arise and get thee out of this city, thou and Baruch, for I am about to destroy it on account of the multitude of the sins of them that dwell in it. Because your prayers remain among them like a pillar, and surround them like a wall, arise ! and go out, before the troops of the Chaldeans shall encompass it. »

And thus spake Jeremiah : « I entreat Thee, 0 Lord, permit Thy servant to speak before Thee. »

And the Lord said : « Speak, Jeremiah. my chosen. »

And Jeremiah spake, saying : « 0 Lord, Almighty ! Thou deliverest up this Thy chosen city, into the hands of the Chaldeans ! and the king that prides himself upon the multitude of his troops, shall say : ' I have overcome the holy city of God. ' Not so, 0 Lord, but let it be Thy will to destroy it with Thine own hand! »

And the Lord said unto Jeremiah: a Because thou art my chosen one, arise and go thy way out of this city, thou and Banich, for I am about to destroy it on account of the multitude of the sins of them that dwell in it. But neither the king, nor his troops can enter into it, unless I open its doors. Arise and go unto Baruch and tell him this thing ; and in the sixth watch of the night, go ye up to the wall of the city, and 1 will shew you, that unless I destroy that city, no one can enter into it. » And the Lord, having said this unto Jeremiah, departed from him.

And Jeremiah ran and told the words to Baruch; and they went into the temple of God. And Jeremiah rent his garments, and put ashes upon his head.

And when Baruch saw that he had put ashes upon his head, and had rent his garments, he cried out with a loud voice, saying: « Jeremiah, my father, what has happened unto thee, or what sin have the people committed ? »

For it was the custom of Jeremiah, when the people had committed a sin, to put ashes upon his head, and to offer up prayer for the sake of the people, until their sin was pardoned.

And Baruch added, saying : a Let us i-end our hearts and not our garments, and instead of water let our tears come down and give as drink ; for God is unwilling to have mercy upon His people, w

And Jeremiah said : « God is about to deliver up this city into the hands of the king of the Chaldeans, and will lead the people captive unto Babylon, w

And when Baruch heard this, he rent his garments and said : « Jeremiah, my father I who has told thee so? »

And Jeremiah said : « Remain with me until the sixth watch of the night, and thou shalt know that this thing is true. » And they remained together before the altar and wept, and their clothes were rent. And it came to pass about the sixth watch, as the Lord had commanded Jeremiah, they, together, Jeremiah and Baruch, went up to the wall of the city. And lo, a voice was heard like the sound of a flute, and angels came down from heaven, and in their hands were lamps, and they placed them upon the wall of the city.

When Jeremiah and Baruch saw them, they wept, saying : « Now we understand that this thing is true. » And Jeremiah entreated the angel, saying: « Destroy not this city, until I speak unto the Lord. » And the Lord commanded the angel, saying : « Destroy not this city, until Jeremiah, my chosen, has spoken. »

Then Jeremiah spake, saying : « I entreat Thee, 0 Lord, permit me to speak before Thee. »

And God said : « Speak, Jeremiah, my chosen. »

And Jeremiah said : « 0 Lord, I know that Thou art about to deliver up this city into the hands of its enemies, and they shall carry the people unto Babylon. Tell me I pray Thee, what is Thy pleasure concerning the furniture of Thy holy altar? » The Lord said unto him : « Take it and bury it under the earth, and say unto her: ' Hearken, thou earth, unto the voice of thy Creator, — and let the icater, tchick has sealed up the seventh epoch, and thereafter shall take away thine ornament, be a tvitness^ ^ — keep the furniture of the altar until the coming of the Beloved One. ' » And Jeremiah spake, saying : « I beseech Thee, 0 Lord, make me to know what I shall do with Abimelech the Ethiopian for his kindness towards me, Thy servant ? It is he that has brought me out of the miry pit, and I am grieved that he should see the destruction of this city and its defilement. Have pity upon him that he be not grieved. » And the Lord said unto Jeremiah: aSend him away, unto the village of Agrippa, and I will hide him under the shadow of the mountain, until the time that I shall make the people to return to this city. And thou, go thy way with the people into Babylon, and remain with them and preach unto them My words, until I cause them to return into this city. But let Baruch remain here until I speak with him. »

Then the Loi-d, having spoken thus to Jeremiah, returned into heaven.

And Jeremiah and Baruch went into the sanctuary, and they took the furniture of the altar and buried it under the earth, as the Lord spake unto them, and the earth swallowed it up, and they sat down together and wept*

And on the next day Jeremiah sent unto Abimelech saying : « Take a basket and go thy way into the village of Agrippa by the road of the mountain, and bring some figs for the use of the sick among the people, that suflfer from redness, and may the glory of the Lord be upon thy head. »

And having said this, he sent him away. And upon the next day the troops of the Chaldeans came down upon the city of Jerusalem and made a circle round about it. And an angel sounded a trumpet, saying : n Ye strong ones of the Chaldeans, behold the doors of the town are open unto you. Go ye into it, 0 great army, and make captive all them who dwell in it. »

And Jeremiah took the key of the temple and went out of the city, and threw it upon the ground in the sight of the Sun, and buried it, saying: « I say unto thee, 0 earth, take the key of the temple of God, and keep it until the day that the Lord shall ask thee for it. »

And Jeremiah wept and went after the people, whom the king of the Babylonians carried into Babylon. And Baruch also put ashes upon his head and wept, and wont his way sighing and saying : « Jerusalem was defiled because the people were prone to sin, but let not the ungodly boast and say: ' We overcame and took the city of God with our troops. ' It is because of our sins that God has delivered her into your hands. But God will have pity upon us and shall make us return into our city, but He will destroy you. Blessed be our fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, who departed from this earth and did not see the defilement of this city. »

Then Baruch went out of the city, weeping and crying: « On account of thy sin, 0 Jerusalem, I leave thee. » — And he sat upon a tomb and there he remained, and the angels came to tell him the Lord's command concerning him.

Now while Abimelech carried the figs and went on his way, he was ov^ercome by the great heat and stopped under a tree to rest awhile under its shadow; and he leaned his head upon the basket, in which the figs were, and fell asleep. And there he remained asleep sixty-six years. And after this he awoke out of his sleep and said : - « I sweetly slept a while, bat my head is hea\ y, for my sleep has not refreshed me. » Then he beheld the figs, the milk of which was dropping down, and said : « I would sleep yet a little more ; but I fear if I l>e late to go on, Jeremiah, my father, may chide me. So let me arise and depart from this excessive heat. Neither to-day's heat^ nor my judgment, shall hinder me. »

And he arose and took the basket with the figs, and put it upon his shoulders, and entered into Jerusalem, but he knew it not, neither his house, nor the place where it stood ; neither could he find any of his kinsfolk. Then he said : « Blessed be the Lord ! I am greatly astonished this day. This is not the city. I have gone astray. I came by the road of the mountain, and as my head was still heavy with sleep, for I had not taken my fill of it, perchance I went astray and lost the road ; how shall I confess to Jeremiah that 1 went astray? » And Abimelech went out of the city and looked searchingly about it to see if he could find some landmark which he knew. Then he said : <c This is not the (-i^y, I have g(»ne astray. » And again he entered the city and sought for his kinsfolk, but he was not able to find any of them, and said : <c Blessed be God, I foel greatly afi-aid. » Then he departed from the city, iifrieved in his heart, and not 19 knowing which way to go, he put down the basket, saying : « I will sit down here until this fear shall depart from nie. »

And while he sat, he saw an old man coming up from the field, and Abimelech .said unto him : « Tell me. thou old man, what city this is ? »

And the old man said unto him : « This is Jerusalem. »

And Abimelech said unto him : « Where is Jeremiah, the priest, and Baruch the scribe, and all the people which dwelt in this city ? For I find none of them. »

And the old man said unto Abimelech tt Art thou one of this city, and dost thou remember Jeremiah, that thou inquirest for him after so many years have passed by ? Jeremiah is in Babylon with the people that the king Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive. He dwells there with them, and preaches, and teaches them the word of God. M

When Abimelech heard the old man thus spoak. he said : « If thou wert not an old man, and if it were not that I should insult a man of God, I would greiitly laugh at thee for thy saying that Jeremiah is in Babylon with the people. Even if the windows of heaven were opened upon this town, they could not carry away captive them that <lwell therein. And how sayest thou that the people have been taken captive into Babylon ? For it is but one watch since Jeremiah my father sent me into the village of Agrippa to bring a few figs for the sick among the people, and while 1 was bringing them, because of the great heat, I sat down under the shadow of a tree to rest a little, and leaning my head upon the basket of figs I slept I I think I can only be a little late, for the milk of the figs drops down Just as when I gathered them. And how sayest thou that in that time the people have been carried captive into Babylon ? Behold the figs, how the milk is still dropping I M

And he shewed unto the old man the figs in the basket.

And the old man observed it and said : « My son ! it may be that because thou art the son of a righteous man, God was not pleased that thou shouldest see the destruction of this city, and therefore brought upon thee this fear. Behold, for sixty-six years the people have been captive in Babylon; and believe me, my son, that what I say unto thee is true. (Jo back to the village and obsen'e the fig-trees and see that the time of figs is not yet. w

Then Abimelech cried with a loud voice* saying : <c We give thanks unto Thee, O God of heaven and earth, that givest rest to the sons of the righteous in all places. » Then he said unto the old man: aWhat month is this? »

The old man said: « It is Xisnn. the first month. ))

And Abhneleeh took some of the figs and gave them to the old man. saying : u May God enliirhten thee in Jerusalem above, w And after this Abimelech went out of the city and ottered up prayer unto the Lord. And the angel of the Lord came and took hold of his right hand, and brought him to that place where Baruch sat upon the tomb. And when they saw one another, they wept together and kissed each other. And Baruch looked and saw with his own eyes the green figs in Abimelech's basket, and lifting up his eyes nnto heaven, he said : <c Thou art the God that rewardest Thy beloved ones. Awake, my heart ! rejoice and exult in thy dwelling— place, and say unto thine earthly home, thy grief shall be changed into Joy when the Almighty shall come und take thee out of thy dwelling-place, for there has not been found sin in thee. Come out of thy dwelling-place, and in the purity of thy faith, believe and thou «halt be saved. Examine this basket of figs, behold I it is sixty-six years since they were plucked, and they are neither shrivelled nor corrupt, and their milk still drops from them. So shall it be with thy body if thou fultiUest the command of the angel of righteousness, who kept this basket of figs and also will preserve thee through his power. » And Abimelech said unto him: cc Let us arise and pray, that the Lord may shew us how to send this good news unto Jeremiah in Babylon, that he may know how the Lord has hidden us on our way. »

Then Baruch and Abimelech gave themselves unto prayer, saying: « My strength, O Lord God, Elect light, that proceedeth from Thy mouth, we pray Thee and beseech Thy mercy for the sake of Thy great name, which no one is able to know . Hearken to our voice, and grant wisdom unto our hearts, that we may know what to do, and how to send this good news unto Jeremiah in Babylon. )>

And while Baruch was praying and saying, all these things, the Counsellor of light provided the means for sending to Jeremiah. And He said unto them : a At the break of day, an eagle shall come unto you; go and meet him, and he shall carry the good news for you unto Jeremiah, And write unto the children of Israel and say unto them^ thus saith the Lord: Separate yourselves from the strangers that are among you, for it shall come to pass that after sixtyfive days I will restore you to your towns ; and they that will not depart from the Babylonians, shall not return to their towns: but command them not to mix with the Babylonians. w

And the angel, having thus spoken unto Baruch, departed from him. And Baruch, the servant of God, sent to the dispersed among the Gentiles, and caused paper to be brought to him that he might write thus unto Jeremiah, who had gone into captivity in Bahvlon.

(c Through the will of the Lord, be glad and rejoice that God did not deprive us of our wise men. We were <»:rieved on account of the city that had been destroyed and despised. Wherefore the Lord had pity upon us and considered our tears, and remembered the covenant that He had made with our fathers, with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He sent unto me his angfel and told me this thing which I now write unto thee* The Lord God of Israel, who took us out of the Furnace of Egypt, saith: Because ye kept not My commandments and became proud in your heart, and obstinate before Me, I, in My anger and wrath, delivered you up to the fire of Babylon, But if ye hear My voice, saith the Lord, when I speak through the mouth of Jeremiah, my servant, whosoever hearkeneth unto him, I will remove from Babylon ; and whosoever hearkeneth not, I will estrange him from Jerusalem ; and thus, through the water of Jordan. I will prove them that listen not. The sign of the large seal shall declare it. » And Baruch got up from the tomb and saw an eag-le come out of it.

And the eag-le said unto him with a man's voice : « Rejoice, Baruch, that thou art the supporter of the Faith. »

And Baruch said unto him : a Among all the birds of heaven thou art the only one that can speak ; the brightness of thine eyes shows it : tell me, what dost thou here V »

The eagle said unto him : « The Lord has sent me that I should carry thy ffood news into Babylon. »

Baruch said unto him : « Art thou able to carry these good tidings to Jeremiah in Babylon ? »

The eagle said unto him : « For that purpose was I sent, w

And Baruch took the paper and fifteen figs from the basket of Abimelech, and fastened them round the neck of the eagle, saying : « I bid thee, thou that art the king of birds, go in peace and safety, and carry these good tidings, and then return unto me. And be not like the raven who was sent out l)v Xoah, and came not back unto him into the ark ; but be like the dove, who three times l)rought good news unto the righteous man. In like manner thou also shalt carry this good news unto Jeremiah, and unto them that are in bonds with him, and mayest thou be happy in bringing joy unto the people and unto the chosen of God. And if all the birds of heaven make a ring about thee, and desire to fight with thee, do thou tig-ht against them; the Lord shall ofive thee strenorth. Turn not aside to the risrht hand or to the left: but as an arrow liieth to the mark, in like manner go thy way through the power of God: and may the jrlorv of the Lord be with thee in the way that thou art going. » Then the eagle took his flight, having the letter tied upon his neck, and went unto Babylon. And there he rested upon a pillar which was outside the city, in the desert, and kept silence, while Jeremiah was passing by him. For some of the people had come out to bury their dead ; for Jeremiah had asked from king: Nebuchadnezzar a place for them to bury their dead, and the kin«r had jrranted it. So while they were going and weeping, they came before the eagle.

Then the eagle cried in a loud voice : a I say unto thee, Jeremiah, the chosen of God ; go and gather thy people, and return here and read this letter that I have carried unto thee from Baruch and Abimelech. » When Jeremiah heard this, he gave praise unto God, and w^ent and gathered the people together, and the women, and the children, and came to the j^lace where the eagle rested. And the eagle sat upon the dead, and the dead returned to life again. And this took place that they who saw it might believe.

And all the people wondered at the sign, and they said : <( This is the God of our fathers, who through Moses appeared in the wilderness, and now He hath appeared unto us. w

And the eagle said : « I bid thee, Jeremiah, come and untie this letter and read it before the people. »

And he untied the letter and read it ta the people ; and the people heard and wept. Ami they took ashes and put them upon their heads, and said unto Jeremiah: (cTell us how we niav be delivered and return to our city. »

And Jeremiah wrote before all the people,^ to Baruch and to Abinielecli concerning all the tribulations which they had suffered^ and how the king: of the Babylonians had taken them, and how the fathers suffered and were comforted by their children, and how the children suffered, and their fathers on seeing their sufferings covered their faces; (c but God,)) saith he. a has hidden you, and you have not seen our sufferiui^s. And I remembered these things and siy:hed. and returned to my home and uiv heart was grieved. And now. thou and Abimelech, pray there in the place where ye are, for this people , that our prayers may be heard before the Lord and that we may depart from here, for we declare unto you that all the time we live here they make us to sutler, saying : ' Sing* us one of your sonofs of 8ion. ' And we answer them: How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ? »

And after this Jeremiah fastened the letter upon the neck of the eagle, saying: « Go thy way in peace, and may the Lord take care of us and of you. »

And the eaorle took his fliofht and came into Jerusalem, and gave the letter to Baruch ; and he read the letter and kissed it, when he heard of the sufferings of the people.

And Jeremiah took the figs and gave them to the sick among the people ; and he preached unto them to beware of an alliance with the seed of the Babylonians. And a day came when the Lord brought the people up out of Babylon.

And God spoke unto Jeremiah, saying : « Arise, thou and the people, and come unto Jordan, and say unto the people : Who is willino- to abandon his alliance with the Babylonians V And the men that have taken wives from amonjr them, and the women that have taken husbands from amono; them, and who listen unto thee and pass over Jordan, bring them unto Jerusalem. And those that listen not unto thee and pass not over Jordan, brinir them not thither. »

And Jeremiah spake these things unto the people, and they arose and came unto \Tordan to pass over it. And Jeremiah made known unto them the word of the Lord. And some of them who had taken wives, would not listen unto Jeremiah, but they said unto him : « We will never leave our wives, but we will return with them into Babylon. »

So they passed over Jordan and came into Jerusalem.

And Jeremiah, and Baruch, and Abimelech stood among them, saying: u No man who has an alliance with the Babylonians, shall enter unto this city. »

And some of the people said : « Come, let us return into our places, in Babylon. » So they went away, and on their return into Babylon, the Babylonians came out against them, sayhig : <( Ye shall not enter into Babylon our city, for ye have hated us and ye luxve departed from us secretly; wherefore ve shall not dwell with us. We have sworn unto each other in the name of our gods, to let neither you, nor your children into our city, because ye have departed from us secretly. »

Then they returned and came unto a place in the desert, far off from Jerusalem ; and there they built a city and called its name Samaria.

And Jeremiah sent unto them, savhi*?: a Repent ! lest the angel of righteousness come and remove you from your high place. ))

But they did not listen unto him.

And during: nine days Jeremiah offered sacrifices for the people. And it came to pass in the tenth day, Jeremiah alone offered up sacrifices and prayers. And during the time of his offering, his heart was lifted up unto God. and he said : u Holy, Holy, Holy is this incense of the living trees ! True Light that hast enlightened me and made my heart rise up unto Thee. In Thy mercy, I beseech Thee, let the sweet-singing holy Seraphim Michael, the archangel of justice, remove me into the place of the righteous. I beseech Thee, 0 Lord of justice. Preserver of all creatures, Who art increate and incomprehensible, in Whom all judgment is secret, and Who wast before all beings. » Thus spake Jeremiah while he stood before the altar with Baruch and Abimelech. And they wept and cried aloud, saying : c< Jeremiah, the father, the priest, the man of God, has left us and is gone from us. » And all the peoi)le heard their w.eeping, and ran unto them: and Jeremiah was Ivino^ like a dead. And they rent their clothes, and put ashes upon their heads^ and wept bitterly. And afterwards they prepared to buiy him. And while he lay thus, Baruch and Abimelech came near unto him, and, lo, a voice spake, saying : a Bury him not, for he is still living, and the soul is coming back into his body. » And they heard and did not bury him; but they remained three days near his body and waited for the day when he should rise.

And after three days his soul returned into his body, and he cried aloud in the midst of all the people, saying : « Give praise unto God, and unto His Son Jesus Christ, Who brought me to life again, Who is Eternal Light, Who is the inextinguishable Lamp for every man and the Seal of faith. And after three hundred and seventy-five years more. He shall come upon the earth. He, Who is the Tree of life, planted in the midst of the Garden, Who shall cause all the trees that are unfruitful to bloom, to gro\\*, and to become fruitful. And the trees that had flourished and had become haughty and said, * We caused our tops to reach the clouds, ' He shall smite them and bring down their lofty branches. He, the everlasting Tree ! The crimson He shall make white like wool, and destroy the whiteness of the snow, and cause sweet \\ ater to become salt by His divine power. He shall bring blessing upon the isles, and shall make them fruitful through the Word of God, the Anointed One, Who shall go in and out with His twelve apostles, and bring the good news unto the Gentiles ; according as it hath been foreknown and prepared of His Father, He shall come to the Mount of Olives and shall satisfy the hungry souls. »

When Jeremiah spake this concerning Christ, that He should come upon earth, the people were provoked to anger, and said : <c These are the words pronounced by Isaiah, the son of Amos, who said, ' I saw God and His Son. ' (^ome and let us not slay him, as we did Isaiah, but let us stone him. ») —

And Baruch and Abimelech were grieved, for they were desirous to hear the mysteries that Jeremiah had seen.

Then Jeremiah said to Abimelech and to Baruch : « Keep silence, weep not, for I shall not die, but I will yet tell you what I have seen. »

Then he said : w Bring hither a stone and set it up. »

And he prayed : a Kternal Light, command this stone to become like unto mine image, until I have told to Baruch and to Abimelech the vision that I have seen.

Then the stone, throui>:h the command of God, became the image of Jeremiah, and the people, supposing that it was Jeremiah himself, stoned it. And Jeremiah told to Baruch and to Abimelech the vision that he had seen ; and afterwards he stopped in the midst of the people, that they might do as they would unto him.

Then the stone cried out, saviuir: « Ve foolish ones, children of Israel, ve stone me thinking that I am Jeremiah ! Behold, Jeremiah stands in the midst of you. »

And \\hen the people saw him, they rushed upon him with many stones, and did as they desired. And Baruch and Abimelech came and buried him. And they took the stone and put it upon his tomb, and wrote upon it: — « This is the likeness of Jeremiah. »

And the rest of the sayings of Jeremiah, and the history of this writing of Paralipomena, are not written in the letter of Baruch. Glory be to *.C1u-ist for ever. Amen.